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Artemi Panarin: Let’s keep an eye on the Capitals

Originally posted on Dose.ca | Last updated Jan 29, 2026 7:31 PM ET

There is starting to be a lot of noise surrounding Artemi Panarin’s situation in New York.

The Rangers told him they were going to trade him, and the player himself wasn’t expecting that. Panarin won’t be playing until after the Olympics either.

He’s really on his way out, to put it another way. And this morning, there was a rumor thathe might be interested in signing a contract extension with the Sharks.

But even if the Sharks are interested, there’s no guarantee that the Russian’s future is in San Jose. Not really, in fact.

And the reason is clear: there will be other clubs in the running for the services of Panarin, who is 34 years old.

Among them? Pierre LeBrun sees the Capitals making a push to acquire him in order to pair him with Artemi Panarin:

Artemi Panarin and Alex Ovechkin on the same team? @PierreVLeBrun explains to @AlexTourignyRDS the Capitals’ interest in the Rangers forward.

For the full conversation, check out our YouTube channel.

https://t.co/wGaE55aPCd pic.twitter.com/u7Tk5PfpW9

— RDS (@RDSca) January 29, 2026

Honestly, I don’t think it’s crazy.

Alex Ovechkin is in the final year of his contract and there’s a chance he’ll leave for Russia at the end of the season. Bringing in Panarin to “replace” him is a logical idea—especially given that the Capitals have some very good centers.

They would have the pieces to surround Panarin well, in fact.

The only thing that bothers me a little bit is the fact that the Rangers and the Capitals are in the same division. Trades like this, where clubs in the same division trade a star player, are pretty rare.

But… at the same time, the Rangers are likely to be bad until Panarin retires. So even if the Russian hurts them over the next few years, it wouldn’t be the end of the world in the context of the Rangers rebuilding…

Overtime

– It’s going to be crazy at the Bell Centre tonight!

The Canadiens-Nordiques rivalry was no joke

Relive it through the lens

Photo gallery ↓ #GoHabsGo

— Montreal Canadiens (@CanadiensMTL) January 29, 2026

– That would be interesting.

Could Carey Price become the goalie coach for the Laval Rocket? pic.twitter.com/q76hEFRCWu

— BPM Sports (@BPMSportsRadio) January 29, 2026

– Note:

Scouts at the Bell Centre tonight #GoHabsGo pic.twitter.com/BiNSEgE1T7

— Karine Hains (@KarineHains) January 29, 2026

– It’s been a long time!

With the Sharks in Edmonton tonight, this might be footage of Macklin Celebrini’s first games in EDM at the Brick Tourney when he was 10 years old

(via @brickhockey) pic.twitter.com/BZ7Ivj8pgp

— B/R Open Ice (@BR_OpenIce) January 29, 2026